Around 6000 Year Old, A Fabulous Neolithic Period Stone-Age Polished Hand Axe

Some of the most fascinating, interesting and intriguing hand made tools and weapons come from a time so far distant to us, it was thousands of years before history was ever recorded, yet they can be extraordinarily affordable. So beautiful and tactile, in fact as much an object d’art as an implement.
To hold within ones hands an implement that was last used by a person up to 4000 years before Julius Caesar even set foot upon this land with his cohorts of Roman Legionaries is simply awe inspiring. It is extraordinary that we have a remarkable knowledge about how they lived, farmed and thrived upon the earth, but not the remotest clue about how they spoke, what form of language they used, and even remotely how it might have sounded. Yet here one can be, holding a piece of amazing hand crafted Neolithica, a tool and vital artefact of person who had hopes, dreams, desires, fears, wants and needs just as we do, but not having the faintest clue how they thought, or communicated them, or even expressed them vocally to others. Ironically from a period around 4600 before the era known to the British as the Dark Ages, due to so precious little is known about British history between when the Roman’s left our shores and the Anglo Saxons ruled this land.

Mankind has effectively long past created a time machine, it is, simply, language, but only when combined with the ability to set it down, to be visually communicated from one to another, albeit on rock or stone, slate tablets, scrolls, parchment vellum or paper. That way once it can be understood, translated if you like, can we communicate with the past by knowing what they had recorded about their time. This is why the printed word, and not electronic data, is so absolutely vital to the continuation of humanity. Imagine, just, say 50 years into the future, it is possible that by then all recorded information around the world will be by electronic data alone, then imagine the simplest possibility of all electronic data being lost or inaccessible, by say an electro magnetic pulse. If that occurred 200 years in the future, without those 150 years being saved in print, we would have a new Dark Age, simply by not having any form of a hand held viewable and readable record.

Around 4,000-2,500BC, In the later Neolithic period, (known as the later stone age) people started to settle down and start farming. At places such as Springfield Lyons, these early settlements have been identified. It was also at this time when stone tools, which up until this point had been purely functional, started to take on a more symbolic meaning. Polished stone axes and other tools that were never used have been found across the county, showing changes in social hierarchy and possibly even the development of religion. The Neolithic also known as the "New Stone Age", the final division of the Stone Age, began about 12,000 years ago when the first development of farming appeared in the Epipalaeolithic Near East, and later in other parts of the world. The division lasted until the transitional period of the Chalcolithic from about 6,500 years ago (4500 BC), marked by the development of metallurgy, leading up to the Bronze Age and Iron Age. In Northern Europe, the Neolithic lasted until about 1700 BC, while in China it extended until 1200 BC. Other parts of the world (the New World) remained in the Neolithic stage of development until European contact.

The Neolithic comprises a progression of behavioral and cultural characteristics and changes, including the use of wild and domestic crops and of domesticated animals.

The term Neolithic derives from the Greek neos and lithos "New Stone Age". The term was coined by Sir John Lubbock in 1865 as a refinement of the three-age system2.5 inches long As with all our items it comes complete with our certificate of authenticity.  read more

Code: 22388

Germany 1912 Gordon Bennett Zeppelin Airship Flight, 12 Poster Vignette Cinderella Stamps

Original, period vignette for 1912 Gordon Bennett air show with pioneering German Zeppelin before WWI. Size 1.5 x 2 inches Gum: MH {Mint Hinged} Photographed against a card background, but all the stamps are gummed and separate.

Very rare to get large number sets. Two sets of x 12, we have 24 but we have split them for sale into 2 sets of 12.

The 1914 Cazin and Rochas catalog claims they were printed in nine colours of ink on nine different papers

The Gordon Bennett Cup (or Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett) is the world's oldest gas balloon race, and is "regarded as the premier event of world balloon racing" according to the Los Angeles Times. Referred to as the "Blue Ribbon" of aeronautics, the first race started from Paris, France, on September 30, 1906. The event was sponsored by James Gordon Bennett Jr., the millionaire sportsman and owner of the New York Herald newspaper. According to the organizers, the aim of the contest "is simple: to fly the furthest distance from the launch site." The contest ran from 1906 to 1938, interrupted by World War I and in 1931, but was suspended in 1939 when the hosts, Poland, were invaded at the start of World War II. The event was not resurrected until 1979, when American Tom Heinsheimer, an atmospheric physicist, gained permission from the holders to host the trophy.

With its extraordinary fineness and silky matt surface, bisque porcelain exudes an unmistakable charm. Sculptural qualities, modelling skills and decorations such as reliefs are shown to full effect and are further accentuated by the material’s fascinating tactile quality. Developed in the 18th century by the French painter Jean-Jacques, the fine material rose to prominence as a substitute for ivory, alabaster and marble in the manufacture of the Château Vincennes. To this day, bisque porcelain is often compared to marble because of its unique way of diffusing light rather than reflecting it. At MEISSEN, this effect and material quality is achieved by polishing the unglazed surface of fired porcelain pieces in painstaking detail, resulting in the bisque's characteristic velvety soft surfaces.

Porcelain in its purest form. Contrary to popular belief, bisque porcelain has the same properties as its glazed counterparts in terms of density, hardness, strength and resistance. By omitting the glaze, details, such as sculptural swerves, elaborate embossing work and decorations, such as reliefs, are highlighted and given a unique tactile quality, showing off the skills of Meissen artisans in a particularly compelling way  read more

Code: 25113

Germany 1912 Gordon Bennett Zeppelin Airship Flight, 12 Poster Vignette Cinderella Stamps

Original, period vignette for 1912 Gordon Bennett air show with pioneering German Zeppelin before WWI. Size 1.5 x 2 inches Gum: MH {Mint Hinged} Photographed against a card background, but all the stamps are gummed and separate.

Very rare to get large number sets. Two sets of x 12, we have 24 but we have split them for sale into 2 sets of 12.

The 1914 Cazin and Rochas catalog claims they were printed in nine colours of ink on nine different papers

The Gordon Bennett Cup (or Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett) is the world's oldest gas balloon race, and is "regarded as the premier event of world balloon racing" according to the Los Angeles Times. Referred to as the "Blue Ribbon" of aeronautics, the first race started from Paris, France, on September 30, 1906. The event was sponsored by James Gordon Bennett Jr., the millionaire sportsman and owner of the New York Herald newspaper. According to the organizers, the aim of the contest "is simple: to fly the furthest distance from the launch site." The contest ran from 1906 to 1938, interrupted by World War I and in 1931, but was suspended in 1939 when the hosts, Poland, were invaded at the start of World War II. The event was not resurrected until 1979, when American Tom Heinsheimer, an atmospheric physicist, gained permission from the holders to host the trophy.  read more

Code: 25112

A French, Mid to Late 19th Century, Elite Cuirassiers, Heavy Cavalry Sword

Typical Cuirassier double fullered 95 cm straight blade, aresenal engraved along the spine, Manf D'armes Du Chatl: Avril 1874 Cavalrie De Reserve Cuirassiers Mdl. 1854. All steel, single ring combat scabbard. Brass guard, somewhat of the Sabre de Cavalerie modele M1822 type, with replaced leather bound grip. Much of the French heavy cavalry wore armoured cuirass and were armed with their straight swords, pistols and carbines. Though the armour could not protect against contemporary flintlock musket fire, it could deflect shots fired from long-range, stop ricochets and offer protection from all but very close range pistol fire. More importantly, in an age which saw cavalry used in large numbers, the breastplates (along with the helmets) provided excellent protection against the swords and lances of opposing cavalry and against infantry bayonets. It also had some psychological effect for the wearer (effectively making the cuirassier more willing to plunge into the thick of fighting) and the enemy (adding intimidation), while it also added weight to a charge, especially in cavalry versus cavalry actions.
Napoleonic French cuirasses were originally intended to be proof against three musket shots at close range; however, this was never achieved in practice. The regulations eventually recognised this, and cuirasses were subsequently only expected to be proof against one shot at long range. Dragoon regiments were not armoured.

The French cuirassiers numbered 11 regiments at the outbreak of war but had not seen active service since the Battle of Waterloo. A brigade comprising the 6th and 9th Regiments had served in the Crimean War but had not actually encountered the enemy. Accordingly, the prospect of action against the Prussian Army, which included 10 cuirassier regiments of its own, was seen as an opportunity for a strongly traditional branch of the French cavalry to prove its continuing relevance. In the event, in a series of massed charges against Prussian infantry and artillery at Froeschwiller and Rezonville, the French cuirassiers suffered very heavy losses for little return. To cover the French retreat General Michel's brigade of cavalry was ordered to charge. The order was somewhat vague, and in his position under cover near Eberbach, General Michel's had no knowledge of the actual situation. Thus it came about that, without reconnoitering or manoeuvering for position, the French cavalry rode straight at the first objective which offered itself, and struck the victorious Prussians as they were crossing the hills between the Albrechtsh?userhof and Morsbronn. Hence the charge was costly and only partly successful. However, the Prussians were ridden down here and there, and their attention was sufficiently absorbed while the French infantry rallied for a fresh counterstroke. This was made about 13:20 h with the utmost gallantry. The Prussians were driven off the hillsides between the Albrechtsh?userhof and Morsbronn which they had already won. But the counter-attack turned into disaster when 700 French cuirassiers were trapped inside Morsbronn and massacred within a few minutes by rapid close-range fire. The rest of the French cavalry eventually came under fire from the great artillery mass above Gunstett; von Bose having at length concentrated the main body of the XI corps in the meadows between the Niederwald and the Sauer, the French had to withdraw. The story of the Cuirassiers at Reichshoffen displayes well the courage of the French cavalrymen. The French infantry withdrawal involved the retreat of the troops who had fought all day in defence of the Niederwald.
In desperation, MacMahon ordered General Michel's Cuirassier brigade (8th and 9th Cuirassiers) to attack the Prussians and buy his infantry the time they needed to fall back. Morsbronn and the flank of the Prussian XI Corps was to be the target of the charge.
Obediently Michel led his cuirassiers out of Eberbach where they had been held in reserve all morning. Sunlight glinted off polished cuirasses and helmets and harness jangled as the magnificent cavalry trotted off towards the south. As they emerged from the narrow Eberbach valley, Michel quickly lined up his squadrons and sounded the charge. Their swords drawn and horsetail crests streaming behind them, the cuirassiers thundered towards the Prussians. Suddenly the charging troopers were met not by a hail of bullets, but by hedged fields, fences, and trellised vineyards. The formation began to come apart. The various captains rallied their squadrons and continued the advance, but momentum had been lost. Now Prussian infantry opened on the French cavalry at point-blank range, and Krupps guns tore huge gaps in the charging ranks as horses and riders plunged and went down in writhing masses. A few squadrons actually reached Morsbronn where the Prussians blasted them from second story windows and trapped them in barricaded streets. Nine squadrons were shot to pieces.  read more

Code: 20222

A Very Good British WW1, 1915, .455 MKVI Revolver Holster. An Absolute Corker!

The standard-issue Webley revolver at the outbreak of the First World War was the Webley Mk V (adopted 9 December 1913, but there were considerably more Mk IV revolvers in service in 1914, as the initial order for 20,000 Mk V revolvers had not been completed when hostilities began. On 24 May 1915, the large calibre Webley Mk VI .455 {manstopper} was adopted as the standard sidearm for British and Commonwealth troops and remained so for the duration of the First World War, being issued to officers, airmen, naval crews, boarding parties, trench raiders, machine-gun teams, and tank crews. The Mk VI proved to be a very reliable and hardy weapon, well suited to the mud and adverse conditions of trench warfare, and several accessories were developed for the Mk VI, including a bayonet (made from a converted French Gras bayonet), speedloader devices (the "Prideaux Device" and the Watson design), and a stock allowing for the revolver to be converted into a carbine.

Demand exceeded production, which was already behind as the war began. This forced the British government to buy substitute weapons chambered in .455 Webley from neutral countries. America provided the Smith & Wesson 2nd Model "Hand Ejector" and Colt New Service Revolvers.  read more

Code: 21348

A Very Fine, Original, Ancient, Punic War Period Early Roman Republic Era Short Sword, A Gladius Hispaniensis Double Leaf Shaped Blade Circa 2,400 Years Old

Gladius is a Latin word properly referring to the type of sword that was used by ancient Roman foot soldiers starting from the Republic period of the 3rd century BC, and until the mid Roman Empire period of 3rd century AD. From thence forward the more standard Roman sword was the spartha

Early ancient Roman swords were similar to those of the Greeks, called xiphe . From the 3rd century BC, however, the Romans adopted a weapon based on the sword of the Celtiberians of Hispania in service to Carthage during the Punic Wars, known in Latin as the gladius hispaniensis, meaning "Hispanic-type sword". Over time, the Romans improved their standard iron version weapon depending on how Roman battle units waged war and also created a number of variants. By 20 BC the Hispaniensis was replaced by the Mainz gladius (named after Roman swords found in Germany), in turn replaced by the Pompeii gladius. Finally, in the third century AD the heavy Roman infantry replaced the gladius with the spatha (already common among Roman cavalrymen), relegating the gladius as a weapon for light Roman infantry.

The Roman Republic had been aggressively expanding in the southern Italian mainland for a century before the First Punic War. It had conquered peninsular Italy south of the Arno River by 270 BC, when the Greek cities of southern Italy (Magna Graecia) submitted after the conclusion of the Pyrrhic War. During this period of Roman expansion Carthage, with its capital in what is now Tunisia, had come to dominate southern Iberia, much of the coastal regions of North Africa, the Balearic Islands, Corsica, Sardinia and the western half of Sicily in a thalassocracy.

Beginning in 480 BC Carthage fought a series of inconclusive wars against the Greek city-states of Sicily, led by Syracuse. By 264 BC Carthage was the dominant external power on the island, and Carthage and Rome were the preeminent powers in the western Mediterranean. Relationships were good and the two states had several times declared their mutual friendship via formal alliances: in 509 BC, 348 BC and around 279 BC. There were strong commercial links. During the Pyrrhic War of 280–275 BC, against a king of Epirus who alternately fought Rome in Italy and Carthage on Sicily, Carthage provided materiel to the Romans and on at least one occasion used its navy to ferry a Roman force. According to the classicist Richard Miles Rome had an expansionary attitude after southern Italy came under its control, while Carthage had a proprietary approach to Sicily. The interaction of these conflicting policies caused the two powers to stumble into war more by accident than design. The immediate cause of the war was the issue of control of the independent Sicilian city state of Messana (modern Messina). In 264 BC Carthage and Rome went to war, starting the First Punic War

A picture is shown in the gallery of a vase painting depicting a hoplite, 5th century BC. He is armed with a bronze cuirass, a leaf shaped hoplite sword and a hoplite shield of the Argive type, very similar to the gladius hispaniensis. (Paris, Louvre Museum). We show another sword carried in a period vase painting of the Death of Actaeon.

Bronze copper alloy, with superb natural age patination. And likely, the copper of the alloy was sourced from the ancient Cretan copper mines, with a percentage of added tin, in order to create the stronger bronze alloy. Small old age crack at the base of the blades tang. The Hilt would have been made from organic material, such as horn, bone or wood, a material that never survives once buried for the two millennia since it was last used in war. So all that remains is the bronze blade and its tang  read more

Code: 20468

WW2 Circa 1943 Knife Bayonet for M1 Garand Rifle & Model M1, in its Olive Green, US Flaming Grenade Stamped Scabbard

A good WW2 U.S M1 Garand (short version, 10” bladed) Bayonet, in its correct olive green 'flaming Grenade' scabbard. Blade maker marked UC {Utica Cutlery}, and US, and flaming grenade, pommel rear stamped with inspector mark, 'H'

After testing in early 1943, the U.S. Army decided to shorten the M1905 bayonet’s blade to 10 inches (25.4 cm). Production of this new bayonet, designated the M1, began at the five remaining manufacturers by April 1943. Bayonet is produced by UC (Utica Cutlery) Scabbard is the M7 with a metal throat, and was equipped with a wire hook hanger.

This UC manufactured Bayonet is complete with its scabbard and belt hook. Scabberd has green paint a nice WW2 example! General condition is good+.Pommel form: prominently beaked with well-rounded and stepped end housing a shallow T-shaped attachment slot. The locking catch, the end of the internal extension bar, projects through the base of attachment slot. Pommel meets grips in semi-circular curve. (Pommel form identical to that for the Model 1905 sword bayonet, see WEA 113). Grips form: two-piece black plastic, retained by single screw and recessed circular nut. Grips are adorned with fine vertical ribbing, underside rounded and shaped to hand, back flat and straight. Crossguard form: short straight crosspiece retained by two flush-ground rivets. Upper section formed into high full muzzle ring. The crossguard is slotted above and below the hilt, the narrow elongated oval apertures so formed designed to mate with the two hooks located on the upper edge of the scabbard's mouthpiece. On the underside of the tang, immediately behind the guard is a press stud with catch extension projecting through the lower crossguard slot. The catch mates with the scabbard mouthpiece hooks securing the weapon when not in use. The press stud also works the locking catch in attachment slot via internal extension bar. Blade form: single-edged with double-edged spear point, fullered. Fuller stops round. Back, except for false edge, squared off. Finish (all metal parts): blackened.  read more

Code: 25109

1st Edition, Japanese Spears Polearms and Their Use in Old Japan Roald Knutsen,

Hardcover. Condition: Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Good.
By our local, world renowned sensei, and martial art expert and exponant, Roald Knutsen, who was the sensei of our 30 year late colleague, senpei, Christopher Fox, who was both a nihonto and Iaido expert of 40 years, and a remarkable exponent of all his martial arts in his own right.

This book charts the evolution of Japanese pole-arms from the bronze spears of the Yayoi period right up to to the Meiji Restoration; deals with the history and development of each category of spear; besides the blades, the shafts & mounts are described in detail; outlines the schools of spear and sword fencing from the early 14th century; a very necessary addition to the library of anyone interested in arms and armour; fully illustrated. Japanese spear-weapons mainly comprise the naginata (similar to the European glaive) and types of yari (pike / halberd). Hoko are a hook weapon.

This is the first book in English to provide a fully illustrated guide to the use of polearms - ranging from the earliest halberds and spears reaching Japan from the Asian mainland to the sophisticated naginata, nagamaki and various forms of yari used by the Japanese samurai through the medieval period. While the sword remains the best known of Japanese weapons, it was the halberd (naginata) and then the yari that dominated the battlefields up to the early seventeenth century, and thereafter the yari became an important status symbol to many warrior families. Additionally, the authors focus on the actual method of use of these weapons, hitherto an almost unknown aspect in the West.  read more

Code: 25110

A Very Good Shinto Period, Circa Later 1600's, Samurai Spear, A Ryo-Shinogi Yari Pole Arm. Signed Hisatoshi, & Magari-Yari Saya

The magari-yari saya would indicate it would be used on a triple bladed magari-yari pole arm.

An Edo Period Samurai Horseman Ryo-Shinogi Yari Polearm on original haft, circa 1670. For use on or off horseback.
Beautiful bright polish with suguha straight hamon to both edges.

With original pole and iron foot mount ishizuki. Four sided double edged head. The mochi-yari, or "held spear", is a rather generic term for the shorter Japanese spear. It was especially useful to mounted Samurai. In mounted use, the spear was generally held with the right hand and the spear was pointed across the saddle to the soldiers left front corner.
The warrior's saddle was often specially designed with a hinged spear rest (yari-hasami) to help steady and control the spear's motion.

The mochi-yari could also easily be used on foot and is known to have been used in castle defense. The martial art of wielding the yari is called sojutsu. A yari on it's pole can range in length from one metre to upwards of six metres (3.3 to 20 feet). The longer hafted versions were called omi no yari while shorter ones were known as mochi yari or tae yari. The longest hafted versions were carried by foot troops (ashigaru), while samurai usually carried a shorter hafted yari.

Ryō-shinogi yari, a blade with a diamond shaped cross section

Honda Tadakatsu was famous as a master of one of The Three Great Spears of Japan, the Tonbokiri (蜻蛉切). One of The Three Great Spears of Japan, the Nihongō (ja:日本号) was treasured as a gift, and its ownership changed to Emperor Ogimachi, Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Fukushima Masanori, and so on, and has been handed down to the present day.

Yari are believed to have been derived from Chinese spears, and while they were present in early Japan's history they did not become popular until the thirteenth century.The original warfare of the bushi was not a thing for "commoners"; it was a ritualized combat usually between two warriors who may challenge each other via horseback archery and sword duels. However, the attempted Mongol invasions of Japan in 1274 and 1281 changed Japanese weaponry and warfare. The Mongol-employed Chinese and Korean footmen wielded long pikes, fought in tight formation, and moved in large units to stave off cavalry. Polearms (including naginata and yari) were of much greater military use than swords, due to their much greater range, their lesser weight per unit length (though overall a polearm would be fairly hefty), and their great piercing ability. Swords in a full battle situation were therefore relegated to emergency sidearm status from the Heian through the Muromachi periods.

The shaft (nagaye or ebu) came in many different lengths, widths, and shapes; made of hardwood and covered in lacquered bamboo strips, these came in oval, round, or polygonal cross section. These in turn were often wrapped in metal rings or wire (dogane), and affixed with a metal pommel (ishizuki; 石突) on the butt end. Yari shafts were often decorated with inlays of metal or semiprecious materials such as brass pins, lacquer, or flakes of pearl. A sheath (saya; 鞘) was also part of a complete yari.

The Three Great Spears of Japan are three individual spears (yari) that were made and crafted by the greatest historical blacksmiths of Japan:1

Tonbokiri (蜻蛉切): This spear once wielded by Honda Tadakatsu, one of the great generals of Tokugawa Ieyasu. It was forged by Masazane, a disciple of Muramasa. It is now owned by a private individual and lent to the Sano Art Museum for its collection. The type of blade shape is sasaho yari.2
Nihongo, or Nippongo (日本号): A famous spear that was once used in the Imperial Palace. Nihongo later found its way into the possession of Fukushima Masanori, and then Tahei Mori. It is now at Fukuoka City Museum. The type of blade shape is omi yari.2
Otegine (御手杵): It was a spear that Yuki Harutomo, a daimyo, ordered Shimada Gisuke, a swordsmith, to make. It was lost in the Bombing of Tokyo in 1945. The type of blade shape was omi yari.

this yari's blade is 17.5 inches including tang, blade 5 inches long, overall in pole 78 inches {not including saya}  read more

Code: 24041

A Beautiful and Ancient Original Greek 'Leaf Shaped' Bronze Sword, 1200 BC, Around 3200 Years Old, From the Era Known In The Days of Homer as The 'Heroic Age'

A Superb ancient Greek bronze age sword blade, from the ancient pre-history period 'Heroic Age', with fabulous areas of crystallized malachite blue/green patina. From the era of the Mycenaean Greek Trojan Wars. in overall fabulous condition. The Hilt would have been made from organic material such as horn bone or wood, that never survives once buried for the three millennia since it was used in war. So all that remains is the bronze blade's tang. The bronze for this blade was likely made from the Cretan copper mines, as an alloy, with an element of added tin.

The story of the Trojan War the Bronze Age conflict between the kingdoms of Troy and Mycenaean Greece straddles the history and mythology of ancient Greece and inspired the greatest writers of antiquity, from Homer, Herodotus and Sophocles to Virgil. Since the 19th-century rediscovery of the site of Troy in what is now western Turkey, archaeologists have uncovered increasing evidence of a kingdom that peaked and may have been destroyed around 1,180 B.C. perhaps forming the basis for the tales recounted by Homer some 400 years later in the Iliad and the Odyssey. According to classical sources, the war began after the abduction (or elopement) of Queen Helen of Sparta by the Trojan prince Paris. Helen's jilted husband Menelaus convinced his brother Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, to lead an expedition to retrieve her. Agamemnon was joined by the Greek heroes Achilles, Odysseus, Nestor and Ajax, and accompanied by a fleet of more than a thousand ships from throughout the Hellenic world. They crossed the Aegean Sea to Asia Minor to lay siege to Troy and demand Helen’s return by Priam, the Trojan king. The siege, punctuated by battles and skirmishes including the storied deaths of the Trojan prince Hector and the nearly-invincible Achilles, lasted more than 10 years until the morning the Greek armies retreated from their camp, leaving a large wooden horse outside the gates of Troy. After much debate (and unheeded warnings by Priam?s daughter Cassandra), the Trojans pulled the mysterious gift into the city. When night fell, the horse opened up and a group of Greek warriors, led by Odysseus, climbed out and sacked the Troy from within. After the Trojan defeat, the Greeks heroes slowly made their way home. Odysseus took 10 years to make the arduous and often-interrupted journey home to Ithaca recounted in the Odyssey. Helen, whose two successive Trojan husbands were killed during the war, returned to Sparta to reign with Menelaus. After his death, some sources say she was exiled to the island of Rhodes, where a vengeful war widow had her hanged.

The Greek Heroic Age, in mythology, is the period between the coming of the Greeks to Thessaly and the Greek warriors' return from Troy after their return with Helen of Troy. The poet Hesiod (fl. c. 700 BCE) identified this mythological era as one of his five Ages of Man. The period spans roughly six generations; the heroes denoted by the term are superhuman, though not divine, and are celebrated in the literature of Homer and of others, such as Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides.

The Greek heroes can be grouped into an approximate mythic chronology, based on the stories of events such as the Argonautic expedition and the Trojan War. Over the course of time, many heroes, such as Heracles, Achilles, Hector and Perseus, came to figure prominently in Greek mythology.

Early heroes
Many of the early Greek heroes were descended from the gods and were part of the founding narratives of various city-states. They also became the ancestors of later heroes. The Phoenician prince Cadmus, a grandson of Poseidon, was the first Greek hero and the founder of Thebes.

Perseus, famous for his exploits well before the days of his great-grandson, Heracles, was the son of Zeus. Perseus beheaded the Medusa, saved Andromeda from the sea monster Cetus, and was the legendary founder of Mycenae.
Aeacus was also a son of Zeus. Bellerophon was descended from the nymph Orseis. Oenomaus, king of Pisa, in the Peloponnese, was the son of Ares.
Among these early heroes the three - Cadmus, Perseus and Bellerophon - were considered the greatest Greek heroes and slayers of monsters before the days of Heracles.

Of course, despite the Age of Heroes and the time of the Gods of Olympus, being based almost entirely on mythology, apart from the actual city of Troy, which is now proved to be not a myth, the real warriors that lived during that age and time, in ancient pre-history, actually existed, and this is their very form of sword, and one that they would have used.
Photo in the gallery of an Attic black figure vase that shows Theseus killing the Minotaur of the Cretan labyrinth with an identical pattern of Greek sword. A feminine figure looks on from the right, possibly Ariadne. Late 6th, early 5th century BCE. (Archaeological Museum, Milan). See discussion in Branigan, K. Aegean Metalwork of the Early and Middle Bronze Age, Oxford, 1974, p.8-21. `15.5 inches long overall  read more

Code: 22103